How Facebook ads are driving in-store sales for major brands

This article is sponsored by Facebook.

With one of the largest user bases in the world, Facebook has emerged as one of the most effective ways for marketers to reach their target audience directly. With millions having access to the social network at their fingertips, ignoring its ability to influence consumer decisions would be a significant oversight. This is equally true for brands that are yet to establish themselves in the market as it is for large, established brands. With Facebook’s ability to reach out to every demographic in a sharp targeted manner, having your presence on it is an absolute must.

Brands across categories are leveraging the social network’s reach to connect with potential customers & get real in-market results for their products. Not only does the brand impact increase sales, it also helps bridge the offline-online divide. Marketers often wonder: how can my online advertising drive a consumer to buy my brand in physical stores – an outcome that is of utmost importance to any business. In fact, many brands seeking to boost their in-store sales opt for advertising on Facebook, and Facebook has even proven and measured this using Nielsen’s Matched Market Test on mega Brands like Veet and Garnier. So what can you do to replicate this for your brand? Lots. One of the biggest advantages is the versatility Facebook offers when it comes to showcasing your product – there are several channels marketers can explore.

1. The multi-screen strategyWhen depilatory cream brand Veet devised a campaign to engage with their target audience and persuade them to pick Veet over other brands, they chose Facebook as their platform for direct outreach. The folks at Veet cut the same ad that played on TV into smaller video and photo-based ads, tailored for both desktop and mobile screens. This campaign let them reach out to 18 million people in just four months, contributing to an 11% incremental lift in in-store sales in a market where Facebook ads were implemented vs. a market where they were not. This was measured and proven by Nielsen’s Matched Market Test methodology. According to Rohit Jindal, Marketing Director, Reckitt Benckiser India,

“Working with Facebook Creative Shop helped us turn our existing assets into content that was better suited to the way people discover, research, share and consume on mobile. In a country where our audience is increasingly mobile-centric, this has never been more important.”

1. The Facebook+TV way
2. Many brands also go for Facebook campaigns to work together with their TV campaigns to improve brand and sales impact. Garnier’s campaign promoting its men’s face wash, Garnier Acno-fight, led to a 26 percent increase in sales in a major market where Facebook ads ran along with TV ads, as compared to a market where Facebook ads didn’t run. They learnt that segmenting and targeting Facebook ads helped boost their in-store sales.According to Pankaj Sharma, Marketing Head at Garnier India,

“Facebook’s ad solutions helped us deliver our brand message to a wide, yet carefully targeted audience in the key months of March and April 2016, contributing to Garnier’s overall success.”

Tanishq too saw similar success and an increase in sales at their retail stores across India when they ran a campaign for their target audience on Facebook. Tanishq focussed on people’s preference for tangible access to jewellery by enticing them to visit the offline store. This was achieved by using targeted carousel ads that showcased stunning close-ups of products, coupled with discount offers. The one-month campaign resulted in a 30 percent increase in in-store sales, and 3x higher return on the ad spend.

1. Measure success: It’s all about the numbersEventually, it all comes down to measurements. While tailoring your content for mobiles and reaching out to your target audience is important, you need to be sure of the brand impact that you as a company will create. Easy access to all the data keeps you apprised of the performance of your campaigns. Veet teamed up with data insights company Neilson to assess the impact of its Facebook campaign. They learnt that there was a lift in sales in the markets where the ads were run, vis-a-vis the markets where Facebook ads were not run.

Facebook helps businesses reach out to the right audience. If your product caters to a particular age group or behaviour segment, Facebook will help you reach them. Many brands have done it, so why not give it a shot? It’s the best way to help people find your business.

Find out more about this great opportunity right here.